Call me naive, but that sounds like you are impugning the integrity of a lot of civil servants. This is not what I would do if I was just about to go and work with some of Britain's best brains – possibly not "we are all in this together" politics.

I assume he is saying civil servants have been bullied by Labour politicians to lie, or else conventions are being used to force civil servants into being less than honest over issues such as PFI liabilities. Either way, it is quite a thing to say that the growth forecasts are a work of fiction, as Osborne says.

The Conservative party, and to a lesser extent the Labour party, long ago gave up holding press conferences so they could hold themselves as a party collectively to account. But Osborne's spokesman stood by the comment, saying by example look at the European commission growth forecasts and compare those with the Treasury.

Always mildly amusing when the Conservatives say commission forecasts are better than those of the British Treasury, but let that pass.

So I rang the Treasury to secure a comment, only to be told at 3.30 in the afternoon, there was no one there. Good to know as Greece burns, the Treasury has taken an early cut. One begins to sympathise with Osborne.

5.15pm update: The Treasury later rang back to say they did not think they had any comment. One civil servant said: "Probably the day before the general election, for us to say anything may be the ultimate no-no."